Use of pine oil in emulsion breakers



atented ec. 13, 1932 nire sr ras ATENT @FFHQE FRITZ EMIL FUCHS, or MAPLE-WOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 SAMUEL 3. SINGER,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

USE OF PINE OIL IN EMULSION BREAKERS No Drawing.

One of the problems with which the user of emulsion breakers is confronted in the oil fields is that of temperature and so serious is this problem that it is often found impossible to treat emulsions with the present known emulsion breakers during a particularly severe winter or a protracted cold spell. It is also found that at least twice the quantity of the emulsion breaker must be employed during the cold weather, as the cold slows down the action of the emulsion breaker and materially lessens the penetration thereof, this being due probably to the increased Viscosity and therefore the impossibility of obtaining a complete and satisfactory mixing of the emulsion with the emulsion breaker.

In some instances and where work must be carried on means are provided for heating the emulsion and also the emulsion breaker, but there are instances where this heating is not possible.

I have undertaken to improve the well known emulsion breakers by adding thereto a material which will retain the emulsion breakers in active solution in the emulsion and also reduce the viscosity thereof in cold weather, making it not only easier to employ the breaker but making it possible to use the emulsion breaker in the winter and under the same conditions as it is employed in the summer and in about the same quantities.

I have found that by adding pine oil to any of the numerous emulsion breakers with which I have experimented that not only will these emulsion breakers operate under extremely low temperature conditions, but they will remain fluid under such conditions. I have also found another advantage in the use of pine oil and that is that each of the emulsion breakers to which I have added pine oil operate more efficiently, as the pine oil increases the penetration efi'ect of the breaker. In my experiments]: have combined pine oil with emulsion breakers containing mineral oil and fatty oil. either. alone or in combination. I have added sulphonated pine oil to fatty oils and mineral oils that have previously been sulphonated with certain very desirable results and am convinced as a re sult of my experimentation that the addi- Application filed September 13,1930. Serial No. 481,803.

tion of pine oil to any of the known emulsion breakers will retain the emulsion breaker fluid at low temperatures and will therefore expedite the operation thereof and that the addition of pine oil will increase the penetration and therefore will improve the operation of such emulsion breakers even in warm weather and under the most favorable conditions and therefore, what I claim and desire to obtain 1s:

1 In combination with an emulsion breaker having a sulphonated oil content of pine oil to decrease the viscosity thereof at low temperatures.

2. In combination with an emulsion breaker having a sulphonated fatty oil content, of the addition thereto of pine oil to reduce the viscosity thereof.

3. In combination with an emulsion breaker having a sulphonated mineral oil content, of] the addition thereto of sulphonated pine o1 4. An emulsion breaker having a sulphonated oil content and the combination therewith of approximately 10% pine oil.

FRITZ EMIL FUCHS. 

